This x1000.
I spent an enjoyable 10 years riding all kinds of bikes in all kinds of weather before I bothered to even pass my car test.
There are plenty of bikers who are a danger due to riding like mad bastards with no fear of the consequences. They end up dead of their own volition after hitting a tree/crash barrier/oncoming vehicle.
There are unfortunately as many, if not more, who are at risk because they have no real idea what they are doing and don't ride often enough to build up the bitter experience.
The standard of driving on UK roads has undoubtedly dropped in the last decade. I've witnessed enough accidents on motorways where cars merge into other cars, never mind bikes.
The first thing my motorcycle instructor drilled into us before letting us out onto the roads was that "every car IS trying to kill you: some of them just don't realise it."
As an aside, those who were talking about liking busas but hating the nigger image. Try a Honda Blackbird. One of the best bikes I ever owned. Absolutely ate up a 150 mile daily commute I was making for a year or so. The fairing is so effective that you barely feel any wind below about 90mph. I once rode 120 miles in torrential rain and my leather trousers were barely damp.
